Tummy Tuck: Stories

I've been waiting years for a TT. Was going to have one in 2006, lost 35 pounds then went for my pre-op and found out I was pregnant! Ugh! Needless to say I never had it done and now things look 100% worse! Luckily I am now able to do it and pregnancy is no longer an issue since I had all my "plumbing" removed in 2010! =)

This time I lost 15 pounds really quick, 2 weeks but I haven't been able to lose any more, actually gained 4 back even though I'm doing everything the same. I feel drained and disappointed with myself! I think that's part of the depression I seem to be going through. I should be super excited but I'm really not. I keep worrying if my TT will look like what "I" anticipate. I have this image in my head and wonder if it will turn out the same. I guess that's a question for my PS. I'm also having lipo on my back and hips.

I'm not worried about my house or kids, my hubby is great....I worry more about my recovery; do I need a recliner or a hospital bed in my house; will I be able to stand the pain since I can't tolerate pain meds; will my back pain get worse than it already is......

Anyone else feel like this?

Ok, so I wrote this then took pics of my belly to post with this.....OMG! It looks so much worse in pictures LOL! These pics definitely get me a little more excited! ROTFL!

I just had my Pre-Op appointment! I was there for almost 2 hours! I feel I have all the information I need to proceed! My doctor has the best staff in his office as well, and he is just AMAZING! I can't wait until September 25th!!!!!

I am now 24 hours post-op. I'm in a little more pain than I expected considering I have the pain pump. Still foggy from anesthesia but not as bad as yesterday, I could bearly stay awake. Getting up and into my recliner hurts the muscles inside and I'm getting sharp pinching pain I believe if from my lipo incisions. Worst part right now is the itching..all over my body. This always happens to me when I have to take pain killers. I've been taking benedryl which helps a little. I have a follow up tomorrow morning with my PS. Once I get the ok to open my binder I will upload new pics. I can see my scar is really low, which makes me happy but that's all I've been able to see so far...lots of bruising on hips and back from lipo too. Ok, back to rest!!!

Ok, I just took some new pics....I think it looks great considering its only been 24 hours!

I'm now 3-days post-op and can't believe how great it looks! I never imagined that my TT would have come out this good. Dr. Waldman is absolutely the BEST and I highly recommend him to anyone in the Boston/NewEngland area....heck, I recommend him for everywhere...take a plane, he's worth it!

Just had a follow up with my PS, one week post op. he removed my left drain which wasn't producing much at all. I didn't feel a thing, easy as pie! He said I have some swelling, more than when he saw me 4 days ago. He wants to see me in two days or so to remove the stitches in my back from the lipo and hopefully remove my right drain. Honestly my drains don't bother me at all so I'm not too worried about it. Still very excited and still think I have the best PS!!!!

3 weeks post op and feeling really good. I would say my only complaint would be my compression garment and how if feels uncomfortable around my hips...could be due to pulling it as tight as I can stand. I notice if I do a lot during the day I am a little swollen at night but not too bad. I think my diet needs to get a littler better. I was so strict with my diet before surgery but since having it I have fallen off the wagon per say so needless to say I am now back on track. The last think I want to do is spent this much money then get fat again!

My scar is still covered with tape that i change every other day. It looks amazing....like a slit across hip to hip. I've seen lots of scars on this site and when I compare mine to those I think mine looks crazy good. I owe that to my AMAZING ps Dr. Waldman. The only area that looks a little "scar-ish" is where one of my drains were. This one didn't come out until week 2 so the skin around it got a little inflamed and the whole from the drain is still trying to close. My bb looks good, healing well and the stitches are starting to melt off. It's nice and round like I wanted.

My 6 weeks appointment is scheduled for Nov. 5th. At this time we'll discuss scar therapy...right now we're just doing the tape and it looks great. Also discuss compression garments. Hopefully I can go into one of those spanx type and get rid of these ones my ps gave me.

All in all I am EXTREMELY happy with my choice of ps and of course my results! The whole process is easier than I expected!

I'm adding pictures of my TT review today at 22 days post op. I know one of my favorite things to do before my surgery was to sit here on RS and view all the pics people posted. My scar is healing very well. In the pics I'm posting it looks dark but in person it doesn't look that dark at all, you can barely see it. There are still some areas healing that have little scabs but for the most part it's healed. I took a side shot at well, with a peek of the scar, love how flat everything is! Hope these pics help with your questions/concerns/decisions. =)

I'm now 6 weeks post op. I just got the "A-OK" to resume gym workouts, starting slowly. I no longer have to wear my binder but Dr. Waldman did recommend using a spanx type garment. I am also able to take the tape off my incision. When I did this the tape was so securely stuck to my skin it took off a few layers. My scar is very red and a little rough because of this. This was definitely a little set back as my scar was looking amazing, not red and very smooth. I'm sure once this heals it will be fine, Dr. Waldman thought so as well. He said the best thing for scar therapy is massage, he also said the silicone strips work well too.

I feel amazing! I don't have any of the issues I see my other "September Tuckers" having like swelling, discomfort or pain. I don't get tired even after a long day......I am pretty much back to my pre-surgery self minus the huge gut! I attribute this to my ps, Dr. Waldman. I think he's an amazingly skilled surgeon and I HIGHLY recommend him!